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  He looked intrigued, “The navy way sir? Royal Navy?”

  “Yes Sergeant, they spike it with rum. Now that will warm you up on a cold day!”

  He looked around conspiratorially, “Between the two of us, sir, I am quite partial to a shot of Bourbon, when we can get it.” We both laughed.

  Colonel Harding appeared. “Sergeant Ford, I am sure you have work to do!”

  “Yes sir!” He disappeared giving an apologetic shrug of the shoulders as he did so.

  Colonel Harding was a small man. He had a neatly trimmed moustache. He looked like a neat little man. His shoes were polished to within an inch of their life. His Sam Browne shone and his tie had a perfect knot. This was not a warrior. This was a career officer. He reminded me of a bird. His movements were short, staccato ones. He even cocked his head to one side when speaking; just the way I had seen blackbirds hunting. However the thing I noticed immediately was that he affected his hero’s manner. He had a Colt .45 strapped to his waist. It was pearl handled. General Patton had two! He was trying to be General Patton.

  “Come in Major, although I believe it is a brevet rank?” His voice was slightly higher pitched than was comfortable. I hoped he would not talk to me for long. Dogs would appear!

  We entered his office, “Yes sir. I am awaiting confirmation.” If he thought to upset me with comments about rank then he was wrong. It did not bother me.

  “Take a seat. I can see that you have received many decorations. Is that why you have been foisted upon us?”

  I decided to pretend that I did not know this was the Field Marshal’s order and I ignored the word ‘foisted’. “I thought General Bradley made the request sir or have I got that wrong?”

  He waved an irritable hand before his face, “It matters not who sent you here the fact is that I do not think that we need you. We have managed to do quite well without you and your Commando tactics. We are regular soldiers here. We face the enemy and we fight him. We do not sneak around like outlaws.” He pointed to the east. It was hidden by a wall and the gesture looked a little silly. “We are just a few miles from Germany! We are about to cross into Hitler’s backyard!. General Patton will be in Berlin by February! He will beat those Russians to the Reichstag!”

  I said, calmly, “I didn’t think it was a competition, sir. Aren’t we all supposed to be on the same side?”

  He waved a dismissive hand. “Of course we are. I was just making the point that it is highly unlikely that any of our men will need your expertise. The war is almost over. We just dot the I’s and cross the T’s. However orders are orders, no matter how unwelcome. I know how to do my duty.” He gave me a thin smile. “To the letter. If we have to have a lecture from you I want it to be just the one. I have a large mess tent ready for you. You can address my sergeants and N.C.Os on the 15th. My officers are far too busy for such nonsense. How does that suit?”

  “That will be fine, sir. Thank you.” I did not mind that. Had he said I would not be given the opportunity to speak at all I would have been just as happy and I would have headed back to Antwerp in a shot. However, I, too, knew how to obey orders.

  He seemed to be taken aback by my acceptance of what was a humiliating offer. We were not good enough to talk to officers. He didn’t know that I had been a sergeant myself. This arrangement would do. This way I could obey orders and still leave the next day. I would be home for Christmas.

  I told Gordy and Hewitt that our audience would just be non-coms. They both seemed happy. Hewitt said, “The officers are the ones who will be losing out, sir. Still, with the war being almost over I can see why they see it as irrelevant.”

  Gordy said, “But it isn’t is it sir? I mean when this war here is over there are still the Nips to sort out. And we know there are always wars. They said the Great War was the war to end all wars but it wasn’t was it sir? We will give these lads a good show anyway.”

  We were in the mess tent early. I did not want to antagonise the Colonel any more than I had to. The Americans came in noisily. I saw some scowls but most were just intrigued. They were a rowdy crew but like all soldiers they knew how to come to attention. Gordy shouted, “Ten-shun!” It worked. They all stood rigidly at attention.

  “At ease. Sit down and smoke if you wish.” There was a flash of lighters as they took advantage of my offer. There was a slight hubbub of conversation which I allowed to subside and then I spoke. “I am Major Harsker of the Commandos. This is Sergeant Barker and Corporal Hewitt. Today we have been asked to give a little talk to you chaps.”

  I saw a few smirks and giggles at my language. It was all part of the act. I played the posh officer. It had worked before. It meant that Gordy could do his part more easily. Once they were all focussed I handed over to Sergeant Barker. He stood with his feet wide apart and his hands behind his back. He flexed his knees a little. “Now I know what you lads are thinking. What the hell can a fat, ugly little Limey tell us about fighting that we don’t already know?”

  That brought a laugh. One sergeant shouted, “Ain’t that the truth, brother!”

  “And you may well be right, my friend. You are all fighting men. I can see that. You have fought in Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy. We were with you in all of those campaigns. You know how to attack and how to win. We have done that too but the three of us here have spent days and weeks behind enemy lines. That is something that you haven’t done. There was no need was there? Lads like us had been in first so that you knew what the dangers would be. That was our job.” He tapped his shoulder flash. “And you may know what this means. We are Commandos and Adolf Hitler has passed an order which applies only to us. It means that if we are caught then we are shot as spies. There are no half measures. If you are caught then it is a POW camp. For us it is a firing squad, at best.”

  I saw that Gordy had their attention.

  “Now I have to say that, on my own, I would have no chance of surviving behind anybody’s lines. I don’t even speak English very well. My German is.. what is that American word? Ah yes, crap!” That brought a huge laugh from everyone. “Now the Major here, the one with all the fruit salad, he speaks German and French really well. He could fool old Adolf. He has got us out of scrapes you wouldn’t believe. Corporal Hewitt here can speak a bit too. More than that he and the other lads in our unit are the best there is at using what the Germans have. We are like Magpies. What the Germans use, we use. Nothing goes to waste. Sir?”

  Gordy was like a warm up act, “Thank you Sergeant.” I held up my Colt and my Thompson. “These are our weapons of choice. You chaps use them and they are both damned fine weapons. Lots of firepower and reliable as hell. The trouble is you can run out of ammo in a battle. Especially if you are cut off.” I laid my guns on the table and picked up my Luger and my Mauser sniper rifle. “Now these, on the other hand, are German. We took them from dead Germans. Germans we killed, silently. Jerry always has plenty of ammo. We are quite happy to relieve the opposition of theirs. And don’t make the mistake of thinking that they are not very good. They are excellent. Jerry makes good guns. If you can get hold of an MG 42 or an MP34 then grab it. They are really reliable. Corporal.”

  I handed over to Hewitt who took a German grenade. “We like these potato mashers too. The Mills bombs, like your M2 grenade, are good but we use these as well.” I smiled because I knew what was coming. He smashed the porcelain cap and I saw the Americans at the front duck. John smiled, “It is not armed yet.” He held the cord. “You have to pull this. But don’t worry. We have taken the charge out so that we can demonstrate.” He then showed them how to make a booby trap.

  When we came to the last fifteen minutes they were very attentive.

  “You have heard plenty from us. I dare say your backsides are aching and you would like to get to the PX or perhaps a bar for a few beers. So the last part is up to you. What else do you need or even want to know? Questions?”

  An enormous sergeant said, “That was damned interesting, sir, and six months ago woul
d have been useful but it is Fritz who is running backwards right now. They have more chance of being trapped behind the enemy lines than we do. The war is almost over.”

  I gestured with my thumb behind me. “That, my friend is Germany. We all know how hard the average German soldier fought to hold on to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. I think I can safely say he will fight even harder for Germany. They will dispute every piece of ground. I have fought their paratroopers and their S.S. They are nasty, vicious pieces of work! They take no prisoners, quite literally. I was on the retreat to Dunkirk and I saw them. We fought them up in Walcheren and Antwerp. They are merciless. The minute you start to think the war is over then that is when you can count your life in hours.”

  “You think they are going to attack?” It was a Corporal on the front row who asked the question.

  “Perhaps not right away. However, I believe that they will attack for they have new tanks and new weapons. The Germans build good tanks and have excellent weapons. They don’t have as far to travel to get reinforcements to the front line. They will be coming. I am not saying soon but there will be a last hurrah. Enjoy Christmas but don’t stop training and if you are caught behind the lines then I hope that what we have just told you might save a life or two. We would like that. Men have died giving the three of us the chance to learn what we have. And we haven’t stopped learning yet. Thank you.”

  To my surprise they all stood and began to clap and cheer. It was the best reaction we had had on our tour. It took almost an hour for us to get out. When we did I found Sergeant Ford waiting for us. He had a cup of coffee for me. “Inspired sir.” He looked around, “I know the Colonel isn’t your biggest fan but me and the guys like a straight talker and that is you. You guys are alright. I’ll be sorry to see you go.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant. You make damned good coffee.”

  “When do you leave, sir?”

  “In the morning, why?”

  “Me and some of the guys would like to take your sergeant and corporal over to the PX for a beer tonight.”

  “Good. They would like that.”

  As they were going to be enjoying themselves I arranged to meet Hugo. It felt like Christmas. The festive season was less than nine days away and I would be able to see Mum, Mary and, hopefully, Susan. Perhaps all my ducks were being lined up.

  Hugo took me to a small restaurant. There was little on the menu but when I saw game stew I knew that we would enjoy it. This was hunting country. With a rough red wine, it was perfect. I enjoyed chatting to Hugo. He was a career officer. We had little in common other than the ‘Lucky Lady’ and the section. It meant we had much to talk about. When the war was over then he would continue to climb the greasy pole. I suspect that was why he yearned for action. After the war there would be others who had fought and Hugo had just talked. I had no doubt that he would end up a general. As soon as the war was over I would marry Susan and I would then think about my career. Somehow University did not seem so appealing. There had to be something I could do. I wondered how I would go back to a life where people were not trying to kill me and I was not constantly looking over my shoulder. The meal provided a pleasant evening as we shared our hopes and dreams for the days when the war would be over.

  It was late as we headed back to our billets. I heard the sound of aircraft in the distance and they were heading west. That, in itself was unusual. The Germans had long ago given up on heavy bombing raids. They had their rockets now with which to terrorise London. I wondered what it could be. Perhaps they were bombing Antwerp. The capture of that port had hurt the Germans. They knew that it foreshortened the war. We had had snow earlier on and it had stopped. I could see stars; the sky was clear. It would freeze later on. Perhaps that was why the Germans were flying; because they could. I was the first to return to the billet. That did not surprise me. The Americans would try to drink Gordy under the table; they would need a lot of luck to do that! He could drink at the Olympics.

  I curled up in my blankets. The digs were not the warmest I had ever experienced. It was a bitterly cold night. I did not know how Private Briggs could sleep in the Bedford. He managed, somehow. Inevitably the two of them woke me when they returned. Gordy had Hewitt slung over his shoulder. Gordy was drunk and he held a finger to me and said, “Shssh. Don’t wake the Major.”

  I took Hewitt from him and laid him on his side. The last thing we needed was for poor John to drown in his own vomit. I wrapped him in his blanket. “Are you alright, Gordy?”

  “Fine, sir. Shssh!” With that he collapsed face down. I put a blanket over him. As I was awake I went to the toilet.

  It was a communal one shared by a number of others. As I was coming back I met a young American Lieutenant. He was dressed and he saluted, “Good evening, Lieutenant.”

  “Good evening sir.” He put his helmet on his head.

  “You are up late, Lieutenant. Is there a problem?”

  “We have had some reports of German aircraft flying to the north of us. There are unconfirmed reports of German paratroopers dropping south of Verviers; just west of Monschau along the Elsenborn Ridge.”

  “That’s just twenty miles away isn’t it?”

  “Yes sir. The Colonel is sending me up there with a jeep and a couple of men to have a look see.”

  I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. “Lieutenant, be careful. If they are paratroopers they are not to be messed with. Shoot first and ask questions later.”

  “It is probably nothing, sir. You know how these things get blown out of all proportion. It is probably just a downed aircraft. German aircraft were flying west not long ago. It will be one that we hit.”

  He was young and he was confident. I watched him go and I could not shake the thought that this was important. I could not just go back to sleep. I dressed and went to find Hugo. He was in the same building as us. I knocked on this door but I heard nothing, I went in. He was snoring away. I shook him and his eyes opened wide, “What is it?”

  “I am not certain. Look could you get us in to the radio room?”

  “Probably but why?”

  “The Colonel has just sent a Lieutenant to investigate a possible parachute drop on the Elsenborn Ridge.”

  “Of course, old chap, but it’s probably nothing. It’s Christmas next week.”

  I had no idea why people thought that the Germans wouldn’t attack at Christmas. The Germans had pulled surprises like this before. What I couldn’t understand was why they would drop just paratroopers. We had fought some in Walcheren. They had had to fill in as infantry. If they risked dropping some then they would not be alone. Was this part of an attack to try to retake Antwerp?

  When we reached the radio room there was a young lieutenant and a corporal on duty.

  “What is this about paratroopers, Lieutenant?”

  “The Colonel has just retired, sir. He was not concerned. He couldn’t see that it was a threat to anyone. There is nothing up there to attack. He said to wake him if we had any more news.”

  I smiled, “Then we will sit with you eh? Hugo, how about making us a brew eh? Coffee will be fine.”

  “Right sir.”

  It was easy as that to gain access. I had no doubt that the young officer would be in trouble for allowing us in but if this was a major attack then the Colonel ought to have stayed longer himself. While Hugo was away I went to the map on the wall. Monschau was close to the border. If the Germans had landed in force there then they could cut the road to Liège. That would threaten Antwerp. The thought of the sacrifices men had made to capture the port made me angry. I saw pins on the map. There were almost ten thousand men between St. Vith and the German front lines. The Colonel was probably right. There were too many men here for the Germans to do anything decisive.

  When Hugo returned with the coffee I noticed, through the open door, flakes of snow falling. The clear skies had not lasted long and the snow would fall on frozen ground. The weather was also on the German’s side. The clear skies
earlier had allowed them to drop paratroopers and now it would keep our aircraft grounded. The Germans used weather as a weapon. We had too, but the Germans were past masters at it. They had weather stations which monitored weather far to the north so that they could predict what it would do.

  I saw the Corporal listening intently to his headphones, “Corporal, what do you hear?”

  “It is confused sir. The Ninth are still saying that there are paratroopers in their neck of the woods but they can’t confirm numbers.”

  I looked at my watch. It was now 0300. Dawn was a couple of hours away. The falling snow was a perfect opportunity for the Germans to attack. We would be cut off if there were ground troops racing to join the paratroopers. I said, “There is an irony to all this Hugo. Market Garden was just this plan but on a larger scale; drop paratroopers and send an armoured column to meet up with them. The difference is that the Germans don’t look to have overextended themselves and there are no reports of armour yet.”

  The Lieutenant said, “You are making a lot of inferences, sir, from a few paratroopers.”

  I turned to face him. “That is what the Germans thought on D-Day, lieutenant. They didn’t commit their tanks because they thought reports of isolated paratroopers was not a threat.”

  “Our tanks are here, sir. We have Shermans, Stuarts and the M8. They won’t take us by surprise.”

  The corporal was the only one with headphones and he suddenly held up a hand, “Lieutenant, just getting a report in that the 106th are being bombarded.” He began turning his dials. “Sir. We are being jammed. I can’t hear anything anymore.”

  I looked at the map. The 106th were to the east of us. “Hugo, this is an attack. You had better tell General Jones that he is about to be attacked.”

  He nodded and I thanked God that he trusted me and my judgement. “Where are you going sir?”

  “I am going to wake Barker and Hewitt. We will be in action again soon. The Germans look to have caught us with our trousers down.”

  The Lieutenant shook his head, “There must be another explanation, sir.”